Monthly Archives: September 2010

I was afraid it was too wet

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This is going to be a lot of work.

The backyard was too wet for our neighbour who delivered 2 truck loads (~4 cords) of wood for us today. It looked like he tried to cross the backyard (see ruts), but didn’t make it too far.

The original plan was for him to dump the wood close to the wood shed and basement walk-out. However I did mention to him on the phone last night that the backyard seemed really soggy and he might have to leave the wood in the driveway.

Now we’ll have to use the ATV and wagon to bring it all over to the other side of the house so we can fill up the basement wood racks, and the wood shed.

Who’s coming to help? Dad? You enjoyed it last year!

wood supply

wood supply

wood supply

wood supply

wood supply

Remington Epilator 6025

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Tucked away, nibbling on my brain, were the words of a dear relative who said, “Shave? Don’t shave. Pull ‘em out instead! I use an epilator”.

And those words kept nibbling away until I found myself standing in front of the razor isle in Wal-mart today. Knowing that if they sold one of these contraptions, well I would probably take it home.

Thank goodness I didn’t see any.

Until I read the price tag markers on the shelf and the word ‘epilator’ caught my eye.

I crouched down, and tucked away at the back of the shelf, almost as if this evil thing needed to stay out of the light, was the Remington Epilator 6025.

Seventy some odd bucks later and it was mine.

I am pretty sure I was hoping this machine had to charge up for a day first, but no, the damn thing can work fine on its cord right out of the box, or I could wait 16 hours to charge up its batteries.

“I’m going to try this,” I told Jeff.

I lifted my pant leg right there at the kitchen table.. just to see… just a few… just to see what this thing was all about.

Well sweet baby jesus it felt like electronic shocks on my leg.

42 tweezers, twirling around, on a high speed or low, ready to grab my hairs, hairs of any length, and rip them out by their root ball.

I took it outside, full of confidence that the cool autumn air, and afternoon sunshine would dull the sting.

That carried me through another two square inches.

“It sounds like a lawnmower,” Jeff said.

“It’ll be so worth it”, I mutter, “The box says I’ll be hair free for six weeks!!”

This was not going to be some easy walk in the park. I needed somewhere I could meditate with this thing.

Upstairs I went. Somewhere comfortable. Somewhere alone. Somewhere with a TV to distract me from my pain.

I sat on the end of the bed.

I plugged it in, and started it up. And cursed. Then turned it off. I panted. I cringed. Then did some more.

And 30 minutes later, my legs are hair free.

And red.

And maybe a little swollen.

But just wait. Tomorrow they’ll be glorious.

Hurricane Igor blows by, and Tropical Storm Lisa forms!

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Hurricane Igor wasn’t supposed to visit Nova Scotia, and was heading straight for Newfoundland, but we still had a wild and windy night here!

We had weird clouds and wind patterns yesterday. For awhile in the early evening, the wind was coming straight out of the north – which is fairly rare here. I have never seen the sky the colour it was last night – bright yellow and orange and peach and pink with lines through the sky. It made everything a shade of yellowy-orange while it set.

Overnight, and still now, we’ve had wild winds. The gusts are very strong and right now as the sun comes up, I can see our trees blowing and swaying in all directions. I think it is still coming from the north. The wind woke me up through the night as the gusts hit the roof of the house, and the windows were howling. I don’t think we got much rain though.

And now for the exciting news!

My name sake, Tropical Storm Lisa, has formed out in the Atlantic Ocean :D

My first NASCAR race!

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Oh that sickly sweet smell of melting rubber and antifreeze…

Jeff and I went to the Canadian Tire NASCAR series race at the Riverside International Speedway, just outside of Antigonish today.

It was AWESOME!

But I was already excited on the way there!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

We made to the track in time for the free autograph session the drivers have before the race starts.

That means we got to walk on the track!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

It was gorgeous day today. High of 18°C, not much wind, just a gorgeous September Saturday.

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

One of the cars was sponsored by A&W and they gave us a free can of pop :D

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Here I am on the checkered line! (well, my shadow anyway :>>)
Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Dad told me that one of the drivers is from Milverton, Ontario – just minutes away from my home farm. I tracked him down and got his autograph. He races in car #22.

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

He set a new track record today and was in the pole position!! His track record was 14.484 seconds and he went 82.767 mph!!

Here are a few shots of his car:

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Check out the tires on these cars – just slick rubber – no tread!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Countdown to race time!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

“Gentlemen…… START YOUR ENGINES!!”

And they’re off!!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

(insert ear plugs here)

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Did you see how CLOSE they are to each other! It’s wild!

Oops!! Wrong way! Yellow flag…

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

The home town boy from Antigonish, Donald Chisholm, was out early when his car started spraying all over.

I have to say that these pit crews seemed sooooo slow compared to watching Indy races on TV. In fact, one car was ready to go back on the track and half way up the pits when he hit the brakes because his crew had left the gas can sticking out of his gas tank! :)

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Scott Steckly was always leading, or near the front of the pack, although after pit stops during the yellow flags, sometimes he had to fight back from 6th. Watching him pass was exhilarating! Sometimes I had to grab Jeff’s knee!

Oops!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Flat tire!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Another oops!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

And then someone lost a tire!! It went half way around the track!!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

When you lose a tire, you get the courtesy of a tow truck :p

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Crumbled hood…. The hoods are sooooo thin. In fact, the entire fibreglass body seems really thin and flimsy.

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

This guy was in the running for awhile, and then his car suddenly lost power and he limbed back to the pits. His crew ran out to push him into the centre of the track.

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

With 50 laps to go, Steckly got really wobbly on the curves and hung back, letting #17 take a strong lead.

Checkered Flag! It’s done!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Final rankings:

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

Scott Steckly came in 2nd!

DJ Kennington was first. Don Thomson, Jr. came in third.

The race was 300 laps of the 1/3 mile track. It started at 4:30 and was done at 6:15. I could have easily gobbled up another 200 laps, but I guess it is better to leave us wanting more! That and there may not be many cars left!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

My Scott Steckly autograph!

Canadian Tire NASCAR race - Antigonish

The race is airing next Saturday on TSN if you want to watch :D

Race Coverage:
Race Coverage
Full results
Lap by Lap

Me and the Movie Channels

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With Jeff out of town, and the weather cold and wet, I decided to hibernate this weekend.

Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing worth watching on TV.

So I ordered the movie channels.

I am years behind on my movie watching, so I grabbed a comforter, turned on the stereo speakers, and starting watching.

Let’s see if I can remember all that I watched so I can rate them for you!

Up in Air – 4/5 – I liked looking in on the life of business travelers. Brian V. you should watch this one for travel reward tips. HA

The Hurt Locker – 4/5 – I hate war movies, but this one had more of a documentary feel to it and less of a Hollywood feel. Maybe it was the shaky camera shots. Whether it was an accurate portrayal of the bomb disabling teams or not (likely not), it felt like an inside look at the ridiculous war America is fighting in Iraq so I stayed up past midnight last night to watch this one.

Couples Retreat – ?/5 – Unlike The Hurt Locker, this one didn’t seem worthwhile so after watching the first 30 or so minutes on Saturday night, I packed it in and went to sleep.

XXX – 3/5 – This was a Vin Diesel movie, full of action, and and a ridiculous furry trimmed coat. Not what I’d usually select to watch, but I liked it.

Rock Paper Scissors: The Way of the Tosser – 1/5 – I tried, way way way longer than you would, but this movie sucked SO bad I feel silly giving it a 1. I bailed out, but it is too embarrassing to report how long I hung in, so I won’t.

If Lucy Fell – 2/5 – This was an older movie with Sarah Jessica Parker. It was sucky, and predictable, but I stuck through the entire thing.

Passenger 57 – 2/5 – Another older movie. I stuck through it, hoping there were snakes on the plane, but no such luck. Just some nasty terrorists.

21 Grams – 2/5 – I was on the phone during a good chunk of this movie, so it was on mute, but I don’t think I really missed too much. It jumped around way too much with the timeline, back and forth, and I felt very manipulated as a viewer. Glad it didn’t get my full attention.

Love Happens – 4/5 – I watched this movie in the theatre, and remembered that I liked it, so I gave it another watch. This movie made me change my mind about Jennifer Anniston and now I like her. And for some reason, in this movie, she really reminded me of my godmother Helen. Can’t explain it.

Ghost Town – 3/5 – I’m sure this story line has been done before, but I’m a sucker for a non-scary ghost movie. In this one this grumpy dentist dies for 7 minutes during his colonoscopy and then can see ghosts who need his help to tie up their loose ends.

Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl – 5/5 – The winner of my movie marathon. This is a PG family movie about a girl in the depression years. I loved it. Watch it. It’s like a good old fashioned Disney movie in a way I guess.

The Girl in the Park – 2/5 – Older movie, with Sigourney Weaver. Her daughter is abducted as a child and she spirals into recluse, until she mothers a troubled child 16 years later who she thinks is her lost daughter. Not really worth watching unless you are trying to pass the time while your husband is away and you need to zone out and pass the time.

4 Christmases – 2/5 – Another Vince Vaughan selection. I was also on the phone during 2 of the Christmases and watched it without sound, but I don’t think I missed any crucial plot points. It was predictable even without volume, but I don’t think it was meant to be a stellar piece of cinema.

Lassie – 5/5 – I watched the original old Lassie movie on the classic movie channel. I’ve never seen it! Wow it was good, and made me cry. Any movie where a dog dies or gets hurt or is separated from its loved one rips my heart out.

Earthly Possessions – 2/5 – Older, 1999 movie. Susan Sarandon is a housewife who is kidnapped and turns out to love the thrill and sticks with the way younger criminal for an adventure. Nothing new or earthshattering here.

There. Did I remember them all? Whew. I told you it was a movie marathon. It was SO nice to not have commercials that I think I’m ready to drop a bunch of our other tv satellite subscriptions that have nothing worthwhile on, ever, and keep this movie package around for awhile. ($21/month)

Hurricane Earl Wrap-Up

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Well it was “just” a tropic storm when it hit us, but it was a thrill ride!

I’d say Earl was very similar to Noel in 2007, except Earl has hardly any rain in it (on this side of the eye anyway).

Two days later and our lawn is still crispy dry.

Here is the start of the rain:

Hurricane Earl

But the rain didn’t last too long and the rest of the storm was just wind.

We lost power and decided to go down to the lake to watch the storm come in. Our driveway erosion got a little worse, but it was already bad.

Hurricane Earl

We were without power for 6 hours. I have no idea how we got so lucky. Our neighbours just a couple km’s away just got their power back this afternoon, 48 hours later.

This tree kept them in the dark:

Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Earl

We have several trees damaged around our house, but nothing that is too serious. We have some ugly, half dead trees around the drainage hole in our lawn, south of the house, and one of them broke and is leaning now. We have been planning on cutting them down anyway.

Hurricane Earl

This storm took down trees and limbs everywhere. There aren’t too many yards that don’t have at least a few large limbs down on their lawn. This is probably because the trees are still in full leaves and are more susceptible to damage. Leaves were flying by all day. (By the way, leaves hurt when they hit you when the winds are up around 100km/hr.)

Lots of short sticks with half a dozen leaves attached are all over the ground. The gravel road on the other side of the lake looks like mother nature was trying to disguise it by covering it with leaves and short sticks.

The side of our house has pulverized leaves stuck to it:

Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Earl

I didn’t see too many huge old healthy trees get knocked down. Some are blown over and ripped out of the ground. Most of the trees down are just large limbs off of trees. When we drove around yesterday we saw over a dozen trees on the lines between Sherbrooke and Sonora. Sherbrooke was alive with the sound of generators.

Here is a tree that was down behind our community centre down the road:

Hurricane Earl

My black eyed susans took a serious lean:

Hurricane Earl

Our green pepper plants in the garden all were pulled out by the roots and were lying flat in a row. Two of the red cabbages are pulled out too. All the tomato cages were all leaning. The beans are a mess, but were growing on stakes so they are still up.

A twitter friend who lives nearby on the ocean said all of her bedding plants and shrubs are dead from the salt spray off the ocean.

So, overall, we did really well. It was nice to have the storm hit during the day so we could watch, and not just be scared in the dark. And it was a real treat to have power back before dark. Jeff had just fired up the generator to plug the fridge in for awhile when the power kicked in.

Videos of Hurricane Earl

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After the power went out, when the storm was just starting to get good, Jeff and I walked down the driveway and across the road to watch the action.
This video ends when a branch flew into the camera and shut it off. Too bad it didn’t capture the branch as part of the video!

I was standing near our house taking some videos. In this one, just a few seconds in, a tree cracks beside me and I freak out and start rushing back to the house.

Hurricane Earl

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3:30 am. I guess going to sleep at 8:30pm was a little unnecessary because now I’m up and wide awake and waiting for some hurricane action… and it is dead still outside.

‎6:00am. Foggy, so humid and sticky. 22C. Breeze is picking up.

CBC Radio out of Halifax is broadcasting full storm coverage. Brett Anderson of Accuweather was right all along and the path is much further east than everyone else was thinking until yesterday.

We aren’t expecting the full brunt of the storm, but we are supposed to get heavy winds and some rain. Our driveway washing away is our biggest concern.

6:25am – A couple raindrops. We currently have a Wind Warning and a Tropical Storm Warning.

6:34am – Interesting – while the U.S. hurricane centre has downgraded Hurricane Earl to a tropic storm, the Canadian hurricane centre is on the radio saying they still have measurements at hurricane 1 strength.

8:46am – Not much change yet. It’s breezy with a bit of rain. It is so sticky our feet are grossly sticking to the floor. The hurricane is now supposed to hit much closer to Halifax than expected and the county we are on the border of, Guysborough county, now has a hurricane watch too.

9:30am – Power outages all over the southern end of Nova Scotia. 7,900 customers out now. Jeff is outside right now trying to dig some little trenches on the driveway to divert the approaching rain off the driveway.

9:33am – Make that 11,886 customers without power now.

9:36am – Wow – 14,547 now. Please let us keep power for awhile longer!

9:51am – 27,000 without power now. Little cooler out now. Gas truck was just blown off the road somewhere near Halifax.

10am – Waves are sounding louder on our lake now. RCMP have blocked sightseers idiots from the beaches and away from Peggy’s Cove. 29,091 without power.

10:11am – First big gust. My friend Chrissy is down near where the storm is coming ashore and her poplar tree tops are almost touching the ground from the wind!

10:31am – Windier now. Canada’s Hurricane Centre said they just saw a confirmed wind of 120kph reading from offshore buoy…so Earl is still a Category 1 storm.

10:53am – 39,457 customers without power now. Sporadic strong wind gusts here and light rain. Confederation Bridge to PEI is closed to high sided tall traffic.

11:01am – Trees and powerlines down in Halifax in advance of the storm. Power apparently flickering in Antigonish. Zeus the cat is acting a little clingy. Halifax airport is reporting 74 km/hr winds now with gusts to 104 km/hr. 43,997 houses in the dark.

11:18am – Nova Scotia Power is on the radio. Some power restoration estimate times are into Monday, but will be reassessed regularly. 56,843 customers without power. Getter wetter here. I’m getting hungry. Jeff’s thinking of bbq’ing burgers. He’s a diehard bbq – no hurricane will stop him!

11:46am – Sheets of rain coming down now. 79,728 customers out of power now. Power flicked a couple times. Jeff tested out our little generator and now is plotting to run the TV & Bell satellite TV with it, alternated with the freezer, if our power goes out.

12:12pm – 111,793 without power now. We still have power. Power is out just south of us. Very close. So far it isn’t much worse here than a normal storm. Nothing compared to Hurricane Noel… yet..

12:38pm – Getting wilder here now. Our burgers were incredible. Jeff is out surveying the driveway. We haven’t got THAT much rain so it shouldn’t be too bad. 127,933 homes without power now. White birch in front of the house is getting blown pretty good now. Jeff is cheering for it to get blown down.

12:51pm – Over 400 houses without power in our neighbourhood. Luckily not us. Jeff reports that we had a bit of erosion on the driveway so far, but the trenches he dug are doing well. Some great wind gusts once in awhile.

1:07pm – I run all my computer equipment through a UPS so I have clean power. It has kicked over to battery twice in the last few minutes indicting our incoming voltage was too high or low. I’m thinking about going down to the lake to shoot some video for you. Gusts are getting serious here now. 152,892 without power, including more and more around us.

11:45am, 2 days later – And we’re back! We only lost power for 6 hours, but power was out everywhere, including to our wireless internet towers so we had no internet, until now! Check back later – I’ll post a full post-hurricane review, with photos, and video.

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Check back for updates.
If the webcam and I go offline, assume the power is out.
But you can follow Nova Scotia’s power outages online too:

http://www.nspower.ca/en/home/residential/outageinformation/liveoutagemap.aspx